Skoda Laura 1.8L TSi - My Pre-Worshipped Missile

This is a discussion on Skoda Laura 1.8L TSi - My Pre-Worshipped Missile within Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports, part of the Team-BHP Reviews category; Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel
Congrats.
The Laura TSI is definitely one of my favourite cars that landed on our roads. ...

The Laura TSI is definitely one of my favourite cars that landed on our roads. Classic looks, fabulous engine and the build quality makes this a proper enthusiast car, not to forget the superb mod potential. Also, loved the ownership review. Please do keep updating the thread as time commences and she munches more miles.

Having a weekend car is always special.

Thank You! I will try to update it the best I can. As of right now, I am in the States away from the Laura and miss it a lot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Also, I remember reading your Ford Fusion review sometime back. Is she still with you?

but Yes, I've had a ton of adventures with it and it would take a long time to put it into words, but I'll try. Hint : I went to "The Dragon" road in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (one of the best driving roads in the world) with it, accompanying me were cars like Charger Hellcat, Challenger Hellcat, Roush Supercharged Mustang 5.0, Dinan M5, C5 Corvette Z06 and quite a few others. Best time of my life! I made a little clip of my drive which you can check out below.

Congrats Sir! The Laura 1.8 TSI is a true sleeper car in every sense. This car currently is the most mod friendly car in India - both performance and cosmetic combined! There are innumerable cosmetic updates you can buy in superskoda.com and milotec.de

I have modded my Laura 1.8 TSI to Pete's Stage II and will be posting a detailed thread very soon. Enjoy the car for years to come!

Thank you! I will try my best to buy more performance upgrades than cosmetic for this one. Function>Form, you know. But yeah, I do have some subtle cosmetic upgrades planned for the car. Mostly, the VRS bodykit, nicer wheels and maybe some canards.

Looking forward to your review for Pete's Stage II, I was personally hoping to go with Tune-O-Tronics because I've heard good things about them. They might be able to create a map more specific to my requirements compared to Pete's who use a standard map from what I know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by niteshsharmab

Congratulations on a great purchase, gem of a car indeed. Even I am getting a good condition 38,000Km run TSI for 4Lacs. Very tempted to buy it but the thought of as high Rs 1Lac annual maintenance for Skoda is keeping me away. What do you think will be an average annual maintenance for this vehicle for next 4 to 5 years. Enjoy your new ride. Cheers.

I would definitely jump on that if I was you withstanding that you comb through the car carefully, getting a VCDS scan as well as an opinion from a Skoda Service Advisor. If you aren't planning to take the car to the track often, I doubt the maintenance will be that high. When you take the car to the track, you put above normal levels of stress on the components, which increases your maintenance costs. I plan on upgrading the components to a higher quality every time it comes the time to replace them, so my costs would be quite different to a normal replacement.

Car under normal road use (10k-20k kms/year) maintenance should be around Rs 40k

I was personally hoping to go with Tune-O-Tronics because I've heard good things about them. They might be able to create a map more specific to my requirements compared to Pete's who use a standard map from what I know.

I am a very happy and satisfied customer of Tune-O-Tronics. My 3 cars are remapped from them in a span of 2 months . During my last visit to Bangalore, I met a guy who was running his Laura 1.8 TSI with stage 1 plus remap from TOT. Car was pulling very aggressively.

Petes remap is from Custom Code, UK.Those are standard maps and I doubt they would offer customisation. TOT would listen to your needs, tailor the map for you and give you lifetime support.

Dr Naren, Any idea of the bhp / torque output from the Laura 1.8 TSI with stage 1 plus remap from TOT?

I think Stage 1 remap is 200 bhp and stage 1 plus is around 215 bhp. I do not know about torque figures. The guy running with stage 1 plus has won couple of drag events with lesser than 15 seconds quarter mile timing.

I am a very happy and satisfied customer of Tune-O-Tronics. My 3 cars are remapped from them in a span of 2 months . During my last visit to Bangalore, I met a guy who was running his Laura 1.8 TSI with stage 1 plus remap from TOT. Car was pulling very aggressively.

Petes remap is from Custom Code, UK.Those are standard maps and I doubt they would offer customisation. TOT would listen to your needs, tailor the map for you and give you lifetime support.

Cheers!!

Yeah, I just got in touch with them and will see how it pans out. I heard through the channels that current times are not too good for VW enthusiasts in India. A couple VW people have blown their turbos and someone even blew up their engine because of the remap they were running. So I will have to tread carefully there.

In other news, my whole list of potential modifications just went down the gutter because I found out that the Skoda Laura shares parts with the mk6 Golf GTI and not the mk6 Jetta 1.8T and I've been shortlisting the wrong parts this whole time.

Also, while trying to navigate through all this I've found that there are very few knowledgeable people in India who will help you without any self-interest. In trying to make sure the parts I buy will fit my car, I approached a couple different tuners and people and most of them wanted me to purchase stuff through them even though it would be more than 60% cheaper for me to buy my own stuff and bring it to India with me since I'm in the US right now. If a tuner helps me out with identification of the correct parts, I will very likely go to them for installation of these parts but most of them would rather not have a new customer than lose out on money they can make when they import a part for you. Luckily we still have a few angels who will help you just because you are a fellow enthusiast.

Yeah, I just got in touch with them and will see how it pans out. I heard through the channels that current times are not too good for VW enthusiasts in India. A couple VW people have blown their turbos and someone even blew up their engine because of the remap they were running. So I will have to tread carefully there.

Could you please share more details on this. Which models were these, what tunes were these cars running and who was the tuner? Also, the source of information.

I was considering a remap for my Polo after the first service. But this piece of info is serious.

Could you please share more details on this. Which models were these, what tunes were these cars running and who was the tuner? Also, the source of information.

I was considering a remap for my Polo after the first service. But this piece of info is serious.

One of the Polos that blew it's Turbo was a Polo 1.6TDi and the other I believe was a 1.2TSi. Both cars were driven very hard regularly on the track and also used for top speed runs. Same use conditions for the Laura 1.8TSi as well. If you're planning to just have some fun you should be fine with a remap. I can tell you more information if you want in a PM, it is on the actual owners to reveal complete details to the public if they want so I'm not going to accuse anyone myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ss212

Congratulations!
This car looks best in black in my opinion. And at 14k kms, you got a very new car.

I had a few questions for you. How is the car's steering feedback? I've heard it's not so good? The laura TSI never came with wood trim interiors. How did you get those?

I am facing some problems with the steering right now so I don't have a complete picture for you just yet. I don't the like the physical steering itself (4 spoke) and plan to replace it with a new 3 spoke VRS wheel. Plus I hear some weird tire noise at close to 160kph (on the track) which brings in a little steering wobble but it goes away as the speeds rise. Other than those two problems, the steering provides pretty good feedback.

Towards the end of its life cycle, Skoda started to throw all different kinds of trims and little features to move existing stock and the last few cars. That's probably where the wood trim comes from. To be honest, I don't like the wood trim at all and will probably get it wrapped in Piano black or CF when I recolor the interior. Let me know if you want it instead, I will very gladly exchange it for the silver trim.

... I've heard it's not so good? The laura TSI never came with wood trim interiors. How did you get those? ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by jalajprakash

... Towards the end of its life cycle, Skoda started to throw all different kinds of trims and little features to move existing stock and the last few cars. That's probably where the wood trim comes from...

This wooden trim is a dealer level option. Its highly promoted for non L&K trims, especially in the Delhi/NCR region. In fact its offered by almost all car brands.

A friend was planning to buy a Rapid (base variant), and he was offered this for about INR 5-6k

I came back to India for the Holidays and my Birthday and brought back some goodies for the Laura! Shoutout to Prithwi (owner of Tabahi) and RohanDheman for guiding me through buying the correct parts. Always a pleasure talking to these guys! Now a lot of people have told me that I should go get a remap before I spend so much on parts but I believe in first upgrading my ability to stop before I upgrade my ability to go fast. Never do I feel the car is lacking in power, except on the track. Upgrading my wheels, tires and suspension will probably cause a better drop in lap times than 40 extra HP and the benefits of being able to stop faster in regular public road conditions are always welcome. The YouTube channel EngineeringExplained explains it best.

Once you understand my reasoning behind the path of upgradation, here goes all the new parts :

All the new parts!

EBC Yellowstuff Brake Pads

These are semi-race semi-street brake pads. The bite and braking is much superior to the OEM pads and they can take a lot more continued abuse as well, a quality which will come in handy on the track. Initial impressions are amazing to the point where now I have to be careful not to brake too hard in traffic because not every car behind me will be able to shed speed with the same rate. The bed-in period is 400 to 2000 kms and I have only covered around 600 kms in it. It is supposed to provide the best braking after the initial 2000kms. My dad was so impressed with the improvement in braking that he demanded that the family hauler Innova also be given similar brake pads but unfortunately haven't found a similar upgrade for the Innova just yet.

Front Brakes with New EBC Pads and Stainless Steel Lines

Rear Brakes with Stainless Steel Lines

Brakes being bled

Black Forrest Industries Dog Bone Mount Insert

The insert is placed on the Dog Bone Mount which is connected to the gearbox. It works by reducing the amount of play that the gearbox has and results in the car being able to put down it's power in a much more composed fashion. Now there is zero wheel hop and torque steer. Even though there has been zero increase in power, the car is now able to put down its power much better which results in an acceleration I can best describe as manic and savage. The downside of this is that there is a little increase in NVH at idling but honestly the car was so quiet before that a little something to know that the car is alive isn't all that bad.

This was installed under the car and didn't want to get in the way of the technicians so no install pictures

ECSTuning Stainless Steel Brake Lines

These brake lines replace the OEM rubber lines. Rubber lines are prone to expanding under strenuous use which can lead to a spongy and completely free pedal aka complete loss of braking. Braiding stainless steel around the regular lines doesn't allow the line to expand at all and allows for optimum braking even under repeated abuse. Haven't had a chance to really test these since there are no trackdays while I'm still in India and you can't really abuse brakes like that on a public road safely. With this upgrade we also removed the existing brake fluid and replaced it with OEM Audi Brake fluid.

GoFastBits DV+ Diverter Valve

This diverter valve modifies the existing completely electronic unit and introduces a mechanically reacting component to it. This allows for boost to build quicker and boost to be held better during gearshifts since the mechanical tap now reacts to actual boost pressure and not an electronic signal. This should really help down the line when the car is dealing with higher boost pressures.

This was installed under the car and didn't want to get in the way of the technicians so no install pictures

SPULEN Boost Pipe Kit with Turbo Muffler Delete

This kit includes a Throttle pipe, Turbo outlet pipe and Turbo muffler delete. I faced some trouble with the installation of this piece of kit since not a lot of people in India have done this. The turbo muffler delete was about to the first in India for a Laura but alas it was not meant to be. The turbo muffler had different mounting hole pattern compared to the part that was meant to replace it. I am currently trying to contact SPULEN about it and figure out how to install that part. For now, the kit has been installed without the Turbo muffler delete. Also, the technicians at Autopsyche were unable to install the higher quality SPULEN joints which was disappointing so still running with the stock joints. But the pipes itself have been replaced, and I can show you a comparison. The stock pipes are somewhat flattened and are called pancake pipes as a joke. Essentially these pipes were made so that the 1.8TSi can be fit into the smallest of cars (Seat Cupra, Indian VW "GTi") where the engine bay is physically smaller, but the Laura has a nice big engine bay and doesn't need the pipes to be flattened. These wider pipes allow the car to breathe better and I can feel it in the car revving quicker through the rev range and not choking when you're just trying to crawl in traffic.

Another important point about this kit, is that I misjudged the size of these parts and thought there was no way these would fit in my suitcase, so I ordered them directly to India. For which I had to pay hefty shipping and duties but then the size ended up being pretty small and manageable, which I definitely should've carried myself.

See that open pipe up there? That where the replacement is installed. I did go under the car this time because the tech needed help with holding the light.

Another angle

Comparison of stock and replacement pipes

Stock Pipe up close

Replacement Pipe up close

Comparison of Turbo muffler delete and Turbo muffler

Wheels and Tires

One might make 20000hp but if they don't have the appropriate wheels and tires to put down that power, someone with 200hp can still beat them. I decided to upgrade the wheels and tires on the car as it was still riding on the original tires that came with the car which were the shitty GoodYear NCT5s. I upgraded the wheels as well because I wanted to fit the 17" Michelin PS3 45/225. More grip never hurt anybody and is always useful around the track and in everyday quick braking situations. I had a couple options for the wheels but the finalists ended up being Momo Revenge and Lenso Conquista 7s. I did love the design on the Momo Revenge since when they were first launched, but they've been so grossly overused that I don't like them anymore. In the week or 2 that I've been back to Delhi, I've seen 10+ cars with the Momo Revenge wheels, which is the reason that I went with the Lensos instead. The Lensos are also lighter than the Momos so that helped.

Originally, I had planned to repaint the rims to light brushed gold as soon as I bought them but RohanDheman convinced me to keep them black, enjoy the original paint finish and save the money that would be charged for repainting to use on some performance parts instead. The wheels can always be repainted Gold when I'm bored with the current look a year or 2 down the line.

The grip and stability with the new setup is amazing!! Asked my mom when we were driving on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway as to what speed she thought we were doing and she called 100kmph to be 60kmph, which speaks volumes.

Super Dope Installation Pic

Stock wheels and tires

New wheels and tires

Lensos being prepped for Installation

Brand New Michelin PS3s

What's next you ask?

Once I return in May I plan on installing some Coilovers (either KW Street Comfort or Bilstein B14) because that wheel gap is obnoxious. A full exhaust system (Milltek vs Borla vs APR vs mix and match parts from these)because the car is way too quiet and also because this is a requirement for a Stg2 remap. Better brakes still because I will never complain about being able to stop quicker, but I still have 2 options there. I can either get better rotors (Tarox G88 vs Brembo) or ball out for a Big Brake kit (Tarox 6-piston vs multitude of other brands). And last but not least a Stage 2 Remap (APR vs Shark Performance vs Tune-O-Tronics vs Revo). But I am looking to my fellow community to help me out with these choices. Let me know what you think of these choices, if you've had personal experience with any of these please do share!

For the caption for this picture please look at my signature. I now always try to catch glimpses on my car from wherever I am. If that isn't true love, I don't know what is. Haha.

And this final picture I took right before I left for Jaipur. This just goes to show that even after all these performance mods, the car is super practical and can still haul a family of 3 with some heavy luggage and travel 250kms on a little over quarter tank when driven nicely. That's 3 full size suitcases, 2 laptop bags, 1 briefcase, 1 backpack, 1 potli of case files, 1 sack of Oranges without any complaints in just the boot. Edit: Just remembered the boxes for all the new parts installed were also in the boot when this picture was taken, albeit stuffed in the sides.

Great job and good thinking buddy!! You are making sure that everything is perfect to handle that extra power you are going to get with Stage 2 remap .

Quote:

And last but not least a Stage 2 Remap (APR vs Shark Performance vs Tune-O-Tronics vs Revo). But I am looking to my fellow community to help me out with these choices.

APR/Shark/Revo are well known in Europe for VAG cars. You would get a standard stage 2 remap from them. TOT is doing really good with VAG too. Advantage with TOT is custom remap and could be tailored as per your requirement.

APR/Shark/Revo are well known in Europe for VAG cars. You would get a standard stage 2 remap from them. TOT is doing really good with VAG too. Advantage with TOT is custom remap and could be tailored as per your requirement.

I talked to Arush about it who is the dealer for Shark and Revo in Delhi. He said he is in direct contact with Shark Performance and will be able to tell them about all the supporting mods I have so that they can create a map accordingly which is nice. I just haven't heard a lot about them so looking for people's opinions.

I just haven't heard a lot about them so looking for people's opinions.

Shark is a big player in UK and known for VAG cars. They have started their operations recently in India, so you might not hear much about the cars running with Shark map. But I believe there are few VAG cars running with Shark remap in Delhi.

Shark is a big player in UK and known for VAG cars. They have started their operations recently in India, so you might not hear much about the cars running with Shark map. But I believe there are few VAG cars running with Shark remap in Delhi.

I know about their Indian operations of course (getting all my installations done from Autopsyche), there are about 6 or 7 cars in Delhi with a Shark map I believe. I am in no hurry though. Shark has a 10% Black Friday discount every year around end October, so I'll wait till then to evaluate all my options and if a better option doesn't reveal itself. Shark it will be.